That Will Leave a Mark

Posted bykagould17Posted inAlberta, Devonian Trail, Flowers, Hiking, North Saskatchewan River, Photography, Poetry, River View TrailTags:, , , , , , ,

All photos taken on June 27, 2022.

Weekly walk time and I felt like it was time to wander Prospector’s Point, Devonian and River View Trails to see what they looked like all dressed for summer. We planned to only walk down and back up one set of 208 stairs, so hiking poles were required for Patty. Bug jackets have become a staple now that the mosquitoes are out and about (oot and aboot in Canadian speak). We were a bit worried as the day was supposed to be warm, but it was not as bad as we thought it would be.

That Will Leave a Mark ©

Down by the river

surrounded by wildflowers

and cottonwood fluff.

Even with a bug jacket,

mosquitoes still leave a mark.

Shot from the parking lot, showing the river bank now covered in green leaves

This is the start/end of the 7.2 km Devonian Trail

Picnic tables by the bridge – a noisy place for lunch now that the bridge is undergoing rehab

We were worried there would be no flowers along this path, but, if anything, there were more than in Bunchberry/Tucker’s. The Alberta wild roses were everywhere (separate post) and there were other wildflowers/weeds here that we had never seen before, like the vetch below

Yellow birdfoot trefoil

flower lined trail up to the Imrie Property

Glancing back to Highway 60

sun dappled trail

Bridge view from the Imrie Property

some highlight shots, so to speak

a Darkling Beetle goes about it’s business

my Beloved walking companion

one more look back

at the junction of the Devonian and River View Trails – note the birdfoot trefoil flower border

White cockle

208 stairs down

a real bunch of Fun-gis

White Admiral Butterfly

The last time we were here, only one deadfall tree blocked the path – there were many more on this trip, due to recent high winds

Cottonwood fluff littered paths and trees along our route

Allan goes over an obstacle in his path

Great Spangled Fritallary Butterflies

Poplar fluff lines the path – no smoking please

Down by the North Saskatchewan River – stop 1

some grasses are already going to seed

Alberta wild rose and vetch provide a beautiful wildflower landscape

deer footprints in the mud by the river

sloppy spider web

seed fluffs catch everywhere

sweet clover flower

the long path

Patty is in this shot for scale – this grass is over 5 feet high (152 cm)

yellow sweet clover

wild hydrangeas or perhaps some tame ones that got loose?

Another downed tree

cottonwood seed fluff with my toe for scale

208 steps up at East end – not doing that!

snowy fleabane

new leaves coming out

Down by the North Saskatchewan River – stop 2

ripples and rocks

disappearing Patty

Log jam

back at the West stairs

walking back through the Imrie property

Golden mushrooms

Its all downhill from here – back to the car

It turns out that mosquitoes can still bit through a bug jacket, if you wear a sleeveless top – the mark referred to in my title

Published by kagould17

Not much to tell. After working for 3 companies over 43+ years (38 years 7 months with my last company), I finally got that promotion I had waited my entire career for……retirement. I have been exploring this new career for the past 7+ years and while it is not always exciting, the chance to do what I want for myself and my family instead of what my company wants has been very fulfilling. Early on, there was a long list of projects in my “to-do” hopper and I attacked these projects with a vengeance for the first 9 months of retirement. Eventually, my brain told me that this was not what retirement was about, so it took me another 5 months before my industriousness again took over and I attacked another line of projects, this time somewhat shorter and less complicated, as well as many new projects related to the family weddings in 2016. After going hard for 6 weeks and 3 weddings, my body was telling me to relax, then the flu bug hit and as soon as that was done with me, my sciatic acted up. No rest for the wicked. In 2020 and 2021, the Covid 19 pandemic changed the whole retirement gig. I was lucky to not be still working, for sure. I enjoy photography, gardening, working with my hands, walking, cycling, skiing, travelling, reading and creating special photo and video productions obtained in my first pastime. I may never become wealthy in any of these pursuits, but I already feel I am rich in life experiences far beyond any expectation.

22 thoughts on “That Will Leave a Mark”

  1. Pingback: That Will Leave a Mark – Picture This

    1. These little biters are fierce in every northern alpine, boreal and tundra climate. Once the spring melt and rains hit, the eggs hatch. We just came through a bit more wet weather, so in a week or so, more biters will be out and about. Once the first cool nights hit, that will end them. That is why we love fall. Thanks for reading Marion. Have a great Saturday. Allan

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

    1. Some of the worst bites I got was in my hotel room in Nice. Apparently they were coming from a wet basement in the building next door. The place had no A/C and I woke up the next morning looking like I had chicken pox. Thanks for reading Luisa. Happy Saturday. Allan

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

      4. Typically, there are a few West Nile cases in Alberta, starting in August. I will have to watch out. WND seems more prevalent in Eastern Canada, for some reason. Thanks for reading Luisa. Allan

        Liked by 1 person

    1. Bears have been seen in this part of the river valley, but more commonly one sees deer, moose and coyote. Have not seen them there yet. We carry bear spray with us whenever we hike in the forest. Thanks for reading. Allan

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

      2. When we were hiking on Vancouver Island, we had 3 cans with us between the 4 of us. Not only bears to worry about there, but also cougars. Never had to use it and hope to never have to. Cheers.

        Liked by 1 person

      3. Definitely be careful of the cougars. I know of a jogger who thought he’d be safe even after friends warned him about cougars in the area. Sure enough, he triggered the chase instinct when he jogged past a cougar he hadn’t noticed hiding at the side of the logging road. He got scratched up a bit.

        Liked by 1 person

    1. It was good to see it in summer. Always nice to be by the river. The mosquitoes can poke their beak slightly through the net, when it stretches tight over bare arms (I got some bites on an elbow, as I always carry my camera at the ready). Will give your link a look, but Patty can not have organics with salicylates touch her skin. Thanks for reading and enjoy your Saturday. Allan

      Like

      Reply

    1. Hop may be a bit generous. Clambering may be a bit more accurate. There were a lot of downed trees on the trail The skeeter spend their time waiting for victims and then we come along. Still bad here, but bearable with a bug suit. Thanks for reading Linda. Allan

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

Leave a Reply

Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in:

Gravatar
WordPress.com Logo

You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. ( Log Out /  Change )

Twitter picture

You are commenting using your Twitter account. ( Log Out /  Change )

Facebook photo

You are commenting using your Facebook account. ( Log Out /  Change )

Cancel

Connecting to %s

Create your website with WordPress.com
Get started
%d bloggers like this: